Young players pivotal as Northwestern, Southern Lehigh girls head to Stellar basketball tournament

Southern Lehigh and Northwestern have ranked among the top Colonial League girls basketball programs for the last five years.

The Spartans and Tigers are both looking for the summer to provide experience that will help them challenge for championships again in 2015-16.

Southern Lehigh and Northwestern are among the teams ready to chase a summer title this week in the Stellar Catch A Rising Star Basketball Showcase. The 22-team girls tournament kicks off Thursday with seven games. Seven more are slated for Friday.

Whether Southern Lehigh and Northwestern last into the latter stages of the double-elimination tournament will hinge on the play of their young girls. The Spartans and Tigers have combined for seven Colonial League title-game appearances and four league championships over the last five years, but both are in transition after graduating three starters.

Southern Lehigh has produced a run of Morning Call first-team all-area selections in recent years, from Bridgette Dougherty to Madelene McDonald to Mady Campbell. The Spartans will count on two returning guards, senior Sydney Cyr and sophomore Amanda Mobley, as they look to maintain their winning ways.

Cyr and Mobley, however, could miss the Stellar tournament while playing AAU basketball. That will leave plenty of minutes for several improving freshmen and sophomores to seize.

Returning varsity players Brianna Mobley and Libby Dex will also be part of the mix for second-year coach Matt Cooper.

"Last year, I was hired toward the end of the school year and into the summer, so we just kind of jumped right into it, which was great," he said Tuesday. "This year, having a little more time and experience under our belt, we've been working out and doing other tournaments this summer, so it's been good. It's still a lot of work, but it's a little bit easier."

Like Cooper, Northwestern coach Chris Deutsch lost several of his top players to graduation. Sarah Segan and Sabrina Mertz, key contributors on Tiger teams that reached three straight Colonial League finals, have graduated.

The Tigers have senior Erika Thomas, a Morning Call honorable-mention pick last season, to lean on as they prepare for two straight weeks at Cedar Creek Park. Northwestern will follow the Stellar tournament by playing in next week's A-Town Throwdown tournament that is part of SportsFest.

Northwestern has reinforcements coming from a junior-varsity team that went 21-1 over the winter. Deutsch is eager to see how his girls handle playing outdoors over the next week and a half.

"This summer we've done a lot more things with them than we've done in the past, just to keep them involved," Deutsch said. "We did a league, there was AAU they did this year. These younger girls are very committed and dedicated.

"It's going to be tough. These last couple of years, we've lost some very good players. It's going to take some time for these girls to develop. I think we're going to have a good team this year. I really do. But I just think it's going to take some time."

Parkland, Whitehall, Northampton, Emmaus, Dieruff, Allen, Freedom, Pocono Mountain East, East Stroudsburg North and Salisbury will also compete in the Stellar tournament. The championship game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip Sunday.